7 Reasons You’ll Love Adding a Step Platform to Your Workout
If you were exercising in the 1990s, you might have considered a step platform a tool for step aerobics. Remember all the repeater knees, v-steps, and straddle steps?
Flash forward 30 years, and the step platform is still an effective and versatile piece of equipment used for a variety of workouts! Check out the benefits to see if you’re missing out on this useful tool.
With decades of experience training women, fitness guru Chris Freytag breaks down the top seven reasons you’ll love adding a step platform to your workouts!
1. It’s a Versatile Training Tool
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Step platforms came on the aerobics scene in the late 1980s. While they’re still used for step aerobics, they’ve evolved into a far more versatile training tool that can be used to build muscle strength and deepen stretches.
2. You Can Adjust Your Workout Intensity
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By adding risers, you can create different heights to make strength exercises easier or harder. Can’t do a full pushup yet? Elevate your hands on the step platform.
Want to intensify a plyometric exercise like the jump squat? Jump onto the exercise step!
3. It Doubles as an Exercise Bench
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The platform doubles as a strength training bench for upper body moves like chest presses and core exercises like bicycle twists. It also works for lower body moves like reverse lunges and even stretches like the seated toe touch.
You can easily create total-body workouts right in your living room.
4. It Can Help You Lose Weight
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Step platforms are a great way to burn calories. Stepping up and down gets your heart pumping—think of how you feel after climbing a flight of stairs! Adding a high-intensity step aerobic workout to your schedule can help with weight loss when combined with a healthy diet.
5. It’s a Safe Choice for Older Adults
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A step platform can be used to create low-impact workouts, which is ideal for older adults. It helps build balance and coordination while strengthening your bones.
6. It’s Convenient and Easy to Use
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Exercise steps are a great piece of home gym equipment because they’re lightweight and easy to move. Simply set them aside to save space when you’re done using them.
Plus, it’s easy to adjust the height of the step by adding or removing risers.
7. It Creates a Fun Workout
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Last but not least, step platforms provide the perfect way to change up your workouts. To keep things fresh, try a few of the best step exercises linked below. More possibilities equals more fun!
Check out Chris’s 33 Favorite Step Exercises for At-Home Workouts to get started!